Synopsis On 05 July 1993, the 5.5-metre open fishing vessel CFV #132145 capsized when struck broadside by a wave as a lobster trap was being reset. The three occupants, who were not wearing lifejackets or personal flotation devices (PFDs), were thrown into the water. After the owner/operator had assisted his son and grandson on to the overturned boat, he lost consciousness, was washed off the boat, and disappeared. The two men stayed with the boat, which drifted to an island where they huddled in a rock crevice until rescued the next morning. The Board determined that the boat capsized when she was struck broadside by a breaking sea, the dynamic forces of which she was unable to withstand because of the unequal distribution of weight on board. 1.0 Factual Information 1.1 Particulars of the Vessel N/A CFV # 132145 Home Port - Wesleyville,Newfoundland Type - Wooden open fishing boat Gross Tons1 +/- 1 Length Overall - 5.5 m Breadth - 1.82 m Depth - 0.95 m Built - 1991, Glovertown, Newfoundland Propulsion - 20 HP2 outboard motor Owner - Raymond Howell Wesleyville, Newfoundland Open boat CFV #132145 is a well-constructed wooden boat typical of those used in the Newfoundland fishery. 1 Units of measurement in this report conform to International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards or, where there is no such standard, are expressed in the International System (SI) of units. 2 See Glossary for all abbreviations and acronyms. 3 All times are NDT (Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) minus two and a half hours) unless otherwise stated. 4 See Appendix A for a sketch of the area. 1.2 History of the Voyage At about 15003, 05 July 1993, three fishermen departed Wesleyville, Newfoundland, in CFV #132145. It was their intention to haul and relocate several traps from less productive areas near Green Island, Newfoundland, to an area near Flowers Island, Newfoundland.4 The fishermen had hauled and reset about 150 of their 200 licensed traps earlier that day. Four traps were on board, ready to be relocated. A fifth trap had just been reset about 30 to 40 m off the south-west side of Green Island. Two of the fishermen were standing on the lee side. At slow throttle, the boat was manoeuvred to continue to the next trap but was struck broadside on the weather side by a sudden large breaking wave. The boat capsized. The three men were thrown into the water. All crew members were wearing normal clothing under oil clothes. No one wore a lifejacket or other form of personal flotation device (PFD), nor were there any carried on board. None of the crew members could swim. The owner/operator assisted the two other crew members on to the bottom of the capsized boat. All three adjusted their positions on the capsized boat to keep her steady, but, soon after, the owner/operator lost consciousness and was washed off by a wave. He disappeared beneath the surface before the others could help him. Over the next five hours, the two survivors continued to shift positions about the keel of the capsized boat as she drifted in a south-westerly direction. A piece of rope that had been secured in the boat and an oar floated free. The rope assisted the survivors in staying on the boat, and the oar helped them keep the boat from drifting broadside to the seas. On several occasions during their ordeal, the two crew members heard boats passing in the distance, but they had no means of summoning help. At about 2000, just as a heavy fog began to set in, the boat drifted near some rocks, and the two men struggled ashore on Swain Island, Newfoundland. They found no shelter on the small island nor any material to start a fire. During the night, rain persisted. Weak, wet and cold, they crawled into a rock crevice. In the early morning of 06 July, the survivors heard boats passing in the distance and realized the search for them was concentrated in the Flowers Island area. Hypothermia and the bruises and abrasions they had sustained during their ordeal had sapped their strength. By 1100, they had nearly given up hope, when they heard and then saw a boat. They managed to stand up, wave and shout, and they were rescued. 1.3 Injuries to Persons As a result of this occurrence, the owner/operator lost his life. His body was recovered near Green Island by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) divers at 1222 on 06 July 1993. The cause of death was determined by autopsy to be drowning due to asphyxiation caused by accidental submersion in sea water. The other two crew members, who were rescued some 20 hours after the occurrence, suffered abrasions, bruises and hypothermia which necessitated 10 days of hospitalization. 1.4 Damage The boat was towed to the Marine Service Centre at Wesleyville, Newfoundland, and, on examination, was found undamaged. The outboard motor was damaged by sea water. 1.5 Vessel Certification The boat was not required to be inspected by the Ship Safety Branch of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and had not been so inspected. As a registered commercial fishing vessel, the boat was required to comply with the life- saving and fire-fighting equipment provisions of the Small Fishing Vessel Inspection Regulations (SFVIR). Part II of the SFVIR requires, inter alia, that approved lifejackets be carried for each person on board. 1.6 Crew Certification and Experience The three crew members were professional, experienced, licensed open boat fishermen. None of them held a Certificate of Competency. No such certificate is required to operate a boat of this size. 1.7 Weather Weather conditions reported during the day were south-east winds at 10 to 15 knots (kn), misty conditions with fog patches, and a moderate sea swell of one metre. The area forecast from Environment Canada's Newfoundland Weather Centre at 0300, Monday, 05 July 1993, called for easterly winds at 20 to 25 kn, becoming northerly at 15 to 20 kn early in the evening, and continuing northerly at 15 to 20 kn on Tuesday. Visibility was forecast as fair to poor in showers and fog patches, and little temperature change was predicted. On 05 July, having been out earlier in the day, the crew members were aware of the weather and sea conditions. At the time, an air temperature of 8C and a sea water temperature of 5C were recorded. Winds recorded in the area ranged from easterly at 15 kn at 1000 to easterly at 25 kn at 1600. A swing to northerly winds at 15 kn was recorded at 1830, and, at 2130, winds were down to 10 kn. 1.8 Safety Equipment and Survival Aspects Appendix B shows the predicted survival time of an average adult wearing a standard lifejacket and light clothing in water of different temperatures. The graph shows that such a person, if continuously immersed in water of 5C, could expect to survive for about one and a half hours before succumbing to hypothermia. 1.9 Vessel Construction and Stability No stability calculation had been carried out for this type of boat, nor is any required by regulation. There is no record or report of poor stability or sea-keeping qualities for this type of boat. Because of the inherent buoyancy of her construction material (wood) and any air trapped on capsizing, a boat of this type can, in certain circumstances, remain afloat, capsized, for indefinite periods. 1.10 Search Effort As the men had not returned to their homes by 1900, concern grew. At 2100, they were reported missing to the RCMP. The initial search began in heavy fog on the evening of 05 July 1993. Since the overdue boat had been reported fishing around Flowers Island, a radar scan was made of that area. As it was believed that the fishermen may have taken refuge in one of the cabins on the island, a check was made; however, there was no sign that they had been there. The Search and Rescue Branch of the CCG was notified of the occurrence at midnight. A full-scale search was initiated at 0012 on 06 July. Canadian Marine Rescue Auxiliary (CMRA) and CCG resources were tasked. A group of local small open boats started searching at daybreak. The search initially concentrated on the Flowers Island area and expanded from there. At about 1100, an open boat passing near Swain Island saw the two survivors on shore waving and shouting and rescued them. Swain Island is about 3.5 nautical miles (M) to the west of Flowers Island and about 0.75 M south-west of Green Island. 4.1Action Taken